Diaphragm valve



May 4, 1954 J. B. DAvls Erm. 2,677,390

DIAPHRAGM VALVE Filed March 3, 1949 f 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 4, 1954 J. B. DAvls ETAL DIAPHRAGM VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5 1949 `JESSE Som/1S ERIC P|oK INVENTORS.

Patented May 4, 17954 NITED STATES DIAPHRAGM VALVE .lesse Baar Davis, Brooklyn, and Eric Pick, East Rockaway, N. Y., assignors to The Permutit Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 3, 1949, Serial No. 79,498

3 Claims.

This invention relates to diaphragm Valves for controlling flow of fluids, all as more fully described and claimed hereinafter. This application is a continuation-in-part of our co-pending application Ser. No. 39,486, filed on July 19, 1948, now abandoned.

Diaphragm valves, in which the diaphragm itself acts as, or has attached thereto, the movable valve member which opens and closes a valve port, are known. In employing such diaphragme, however, the problem has been that on the one hand a relatively soft and flexible diaphragm is required to provide satisfactory opening and closing of the valve port, while on the other hand considerable strength is needed because the diaphragm should be able to withstand the appreciable differences which may exist between the pressure on one side and that on the other side thereof. These two conflicting requirements have been difcult to reconcile with each other and resulted in compromises, making the diaphragm either less soft and flexible or less strong than would be desirable.

It is an object of this invention to provide a valve mechanism in which a diaphragm is employed which is as soft and flexible as desired and which, at the same time, is so arranged as to be able to withstand considerable pressure differences. Another object is to provide a valve mechanism which is simple, compact, and inexpensive. A third object is to provide a diaphragm assembly which is convenient to handle in assembling and servicing the valve mechanism. Other objects will appear from the following description.

The manner in which the above and further objects and novel features of this invention are achieved will appear more fully from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description.

In the drawings, in which similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in cross-section, through a valve mechanism according to our invention, showing the valves in open position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. l, showing the valves in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a view of a modification of the mechanism of Figs. 1 and 2, showing the valves in open position; and

Fig. 4 is a View similar to that of Fig. 3, but showing the valves in closed position.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the valve mechanism comprises a body Ill and a cover II, both advantageously made as castings. The body lil has a at face I2 and the cover Il has a flat face I3, the faces I2 and I3 being opposed to each other. In the body face I2 are a plurality of depressions I4, preferably circular in shape,

forming valve chambers, each provided with a central port I5 in communication with a pipe IS and another port Il in communication with a pipe I 8. The ports I5 are made as separate parts, press fitted into the body I0, as shown, or they may be screwed into the body IIB. In either event, it is advantageous that the faces of the ports project a small amount beyond the face l2.

In the face I3 of the valve cover Ii are cavities 2d, 2l, and 22 located opposite to the depressions !4, and forming pressure chambers, each of which is provided with a pressure uid connection 23.

Between the faces I2 and I3 is located a diaphragm assembly which will now be described. The diaphragm Se is a sheet of soft, fiexible and resilient material such as that known as gum rubber or an equivalent synthetic material. Adjacent to the diaphragm 30, on the side facing the body It, is a lower support plate 3| advantageously made of perforated brass or other suitable material of sufdcient rigidity and resistance to corrosion by the fluid passing through the valve. Adjacent to the diaphragm 3, on the side facing the cover Ii, is an upper support plate 32 made of similar material as plate 3l. The plate 32 is made with bulges 33 so arranged that one extends into each of the cavities 2U, 2l, and 22. The support plates 3l and 32 are thus spaced apart from each other in the vicinity of the central ports l5, and the diaphragm i@ is free to flex within the spaces formed between the plate 3i and the bulges 33 in plate 32. A gasket 34 is provided between plate 3I and face I2 and another gasket 35 between plate 32 and face I3.

When pressure fluid is admitted through the connections 23 into the chambers 26, 2l, and 22 the diaphragm 30 is forced downwardly against the port I5, thus closing it. When the pressure within the chambers 20, ZI, and 22 is relieved through the connections 23, the valve tends to open under the pressure exerted by the uid passing through the valve. Depending on the existing pressure conditions, it may be desirable to provide spring pressure tending to open or close the valve, while in certain cases no spring pressure is necessary.

The pressure chamber 2t is shown with a helical spring 37 which tends to keep the valve closed. This spring has its small end fastened by means of a rivet 38 to the upper support plate 32. Between the large end of spring 3i and the diaphragm 3@ is a plate 39, fastened by suitable means, such as loops 4t, to the spring 3l, and provided to transmit the pressure of the spring to the diaphragm 3@ without danger that the wire of the spring will damage the diaphragm material.

The pressure chamber 2| is shown with a spring tending to open the valve. A stud fil is fastened to the diaphragm 30 by means of a screw i2 and is free to move within an opening i3 in the upper support plate 32. Over the stud il is fitted a coil spring M, confined between the top of plate 32 and a washer 45, which is retained by a pin 46 passing through the stud 4l.

The entire diaphragm assembly, comprising the diaphragm 30, the support plates 3i and 32, including any springs that may be supported thereby, and the gaskets 34 and 35, is advantageously held together by fastening means Q8, such as rivets, eyelets, or staples. Faces l2 and I3 are provided with recesses 49 to receive the heads of the fastening means 48. The body i and cover Il, with the diaphragm assembly therebetween, are held together by screws 50.

While the fastening together of the diaphragm assembly, as described, is not necessary for the correct functioning of the mechanism, it is helpful because it maintains the correct relative position of all constituent parts and thus facilitates assembling of the mechanism. Furthermore, since this diaphragm assembly includes all the parts of the valve mechanism that are likely to become defective in prolonged use, i. e. the gaskets, springs, and the diaphragm itself, and since this assembly is relatively inexpensive, replacement of the entire diaphragm assembly is a simple and convenient way of servicing a defective valve mechanism.

in using this valve mechanism, it is generally preferable to have the fiuid enter through pipes i6 and leave through pipes I8, but the flow may also be in the opposite direction. The pressure fluid used to operate the valves may be from the same source as the fluid passing through the valves and controlled thereby or it may be from any other suitable source under a pressure at least as high as that of the duid passing through the valves.

As shown in Fig. l, the valves open when the pressure in chambers 20, 2| and 22 is released, as by venting the pipes 23 to the atmosphere. The pressure of the fluid within the ports E and chambers lli then lifts the diaphragm 30 until it rests against the upper support plate 32, or partly against the upper support plate 32 and partly against plate 39, respectively. The diaphragm is thus fully supported and not subject to any damage even with high pressure in the system. The uid flows through the valve mechanism as indicated by the arrows, passing freely through the perforations in the lower support plate 3 I.

When pressure uid is admitted through the iiuid pressure connections 23, it passes through the perforations in the plate 32 and acts on the diaphragm 30, forcing it down until it closes the ports l5. As shown in Fig. 2, the diaphragm is then supported by the ports i5 themselves and by the lower support plate 3i, so that again a substantial difference in pressure on the two sides of the diaphragm will not result in any excessive distortion or damage to the diaphragm 3b.

While we prefer to shape the support plates as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the construction can be modified to provide suitable bulges in the lower support plate instead of the upper, or in both said plates. The important point is that the plates are spaced apart in the vicinity of the ports l5 so as to allow for sumcient but not excessive flexing of the diaphragm. The depth o1" the bulges will depend on the size of the valve and other considerations.

The support plates 3l and 32 have perforations in the vicinity of the ports l5 so as to permit the free passage of the liquid passing through the valve and of the pressure fluid admitted and withdrawn through the pipes 23. Making the plates of sheets that are perforated all over is convenient as well as advantageous because then the diaphragm 30 and the gaskets 34 and 35 are partly pressed into the perforations where the faces l2 and I3 meet, thus positively preventing any relative shifting of these parts, or a blowing out of the gaskets. However, the support plates can, of course, be made of sheets which have perforations only in the areas extending across the depressions I4 and cavities 2S.

In the arrangement of Figs. 3 and 4 a modified diaphragm assembly is shown. The body l0' and cover H' are similar to those of Figs. l and 2, differing therefrom in shape to suit the changed diaphragm assembly. In this arrangement the central ports i5 are made integral with the body l0. The faces of the ports i5 do not project beyond the face l2 they are shown in the same plane, but the ports may also have faces that are depressed below the face I2. This is necessitated by the changes in the diaphragm assembly, but is also desirable for ease in machining, it being very dinicult to machine a flat face with more than one projection therein. It should be noted that this difficulty is not present in Figs. l and 2, because there the separate parts forming the ports i5 are fitted to the body I0 after the at face l2 has been machined.

The diaphragm assembly of Figs. 3 and 4 comprises a diaphragm 30', lower and upper support plates 3i and 32', and gaskets 34 and 35, again advantageously held together by suitable fastening means L12. In this arrangement, however, the support plates are not perforated (although they may be made of perforated material, if desired). En opposition to each of the central ports l5 the diaphragm 30' here has attached thereto a seat washer t0 made of a suitable soft and resilient material such as rubber and resting in a cupshaped rigid disc 6I, both being held tightly against the diaphragm by a screw 62 screwed into a guide post 63. The guide posts @3 are of such diameter as to move freely and with ample clearance in openings 611i in the bulges 33', such clearance being of the order of ta inch all around for valve chambers 11/2 to 2 inches in diameter, not only to insure free axial movement of the guide posts, but also to provide sufficient area for the inow and outflow of pressure fluid. The lower support plate 3l has a central opening 66 surrounding each port I5', with a bent down lip 6l to avoid cutting the diaphragm 30. The difference between the outside diameter of the metal forming the port I5 and the diameter of the opening S6 (inside diameter of lip 61') is such as to present sufficient area for flow through the valve at the required rate without excessive pressure loss.

As shown clearly in Fig. 3, the diaphragm 30 is unsupported in the annular area between the discs SI and the lips 51 when the valves are in closed position. For this reason it is desirable to choose for this arrangement a diaphragm material which has greater tensile strength than pure gum or the like. We have found that cloth woven of a suitable thread such as one consisting of the plastic known under the trade name nylon and covered on both sides with synthetic rubber, of a total thickness of 0.025 to 0.050 inch, has given satisfactory results in the arrangement .El of Figs. 3 and 4, and such material may also be used to good advantage in the arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2.

The pressure chamber 29 is again shown with a. helical spring 'i9 which has its small end resting against the bulge 33 and centered by the guide post 63, while its large end presses against a cupshaped plate 'il and thus tends to move the seat washer S9 against the port l5 so as to close the valve.

The pressure chamber 2l is shown with a spring di, conined between the top of plate 32 and a washer e which is retained by a pin [l5 passing through the guide post 93. This arrangement is similar to that of chamber 2| in Figs. 1 and 2, the spring tending to open the valve.

Operation of the modiication shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is the same that of Figs. 1 and 2, except that the pressure fluid passes through the clearance between guide post 53 and opening 94, and the fluid flowing through the valve passes through the openings 59. In the arrangement of Figs. 3 and 4 the diaphragm is not quite as fully supported as in l and 2, but it is still well supported, as Figs. 3 4 clearly show, and this arrangement will give satisfactory service in prolonged use.

It should be understood that in the arrangement of Figs. 3 and 4 the seat washers 50 and cup shaped discs 5l may be omitted, if desired, especially when a spring 'i9 and plate l'l is used, as shown in chamber 29 of Figs. 3 and 4, to press the diaphragm 39 flat against the port l5 with the valve in closed position. The use of seat washers is advantageous, especially in valves which must withstand a large number of opening and closing operations, because they take the wear away from the diaphragm itself. When seat washers Sii are used itis well to cement them to the discs 9i by the use of a compound impervious to the action of the fluid passing through the valve.

Where maximum protection against the danger of rupture of the diaphragm is desired, either because of high pressure conditions or the possibility of a flaw in the diaphragm material, two separate diaphragme may be juxtaposed and employed in place of the single diaphragm 39 or 30 for making up the diaphragm assembly.

In either l 2 or 3 and 4, the support plates 3l and 32 or 3l and 32', respectively, may be made of a resilient yet sufliciently strong and rigid material, such as a suitable plastic, and in that case the gaskets 3s and 35 may be dispensed with. However, as this will require truer hat faces, the use of such gaskets is generally preferable. 'I'he lower support plate 3l or 3| and gasket 34 may, if desired, be omitted, especially when no strong pressure springs are used which tend to close the valve, and when the valve is intended for handling fluid at relatively lou7 pressure.

While we have shown three valves in a single valve body, our invention can, of course, be employed 'with but a single valve, or any other desired number of valves arranged in a single body. When several or all valves are always opened and closed in unison, a single pressure connection 23 will suiiice for such group, the individual pressure Xchambers of such group being then interconnected by channels formed in the cover Il.

Our novel valve mechanism is particularly suited for controlling flow through liquid treating apparatus, such as that disclosed in a copending application of Eric Pick, Serial N o. 40,528, filed July 24, 1948, now Patent No. 2,596,915.

While we have shown and described what We consider' the best embodiments of our invention, modifications may be made without departing from spirit of our invention, and reference is, therefore, made to the appended claims for a denition of the scope of our invention.

W hat we claim is:

1. A valve mechanism comprising a valve body having a flat face, a plurality of depressions in said face each forming a Valve chamber, a plurality of ports, each one of said ports being centrally located in one of depressions, other ports in communication with said depressions, a cover for said valve body having a flat face opposed to the said body face, cavities in said cover face, each of said cavities being located opposite to one of said depressions and forming a pressure chamber, passages leading to said cavities for admitting and withdrawing fluid under pressure, a single nat, soft, iiexible and resilient diaphragm between said fiat faces, two support plates, one on each side of said diaphragm between said diaphragm and one of said flat faces, at least one of said support plates having bulges in the areas of said cavities and said depressions to permit a limited flexing movement of diaphragm toward and away from said central ports, and spring means supported by one of said support plates and exerting a force against said diaphragm.

2. A diaphragm assembly for use in diaphragm valves comprising a iiat, soft, flexible and resilient diaphragm, two support plates of uniform thickness, one on each side of and in contact with said diaphragm, fastening means holding said diaphragm and said support plates together, a plurality of bulges in one of said support plates, said bulges facing away from said diaphragm, and spring means supported by the one of said support plates having said bulges, said spring means exerting a force on said diaphragm.

3. A diaphragm assembly for use in diaphragm valves comprising a flat, soft, exible and resilient diaphragm, two support plates of uniform thickness, one on each side of and in Contact with said diaphragm, a gasket in contact with one of said support plates, another gasket in contact with the other of said support plates, fastening means holding said diaphragm, said support plates and said gaskets together, a plurality of bulges in one of said support plates, said bulges facing away from said diaphragm, and spring means supported by the one of said support plates having said bulges, said spring means exerting a force on said diaphragm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 19,151 Saunders May 1, 1934 848,739 Gut Apr. 2, 1907 1,269,721 Kuntny June 18, 1918 2,103,214 Collin Dec. 21, 1937 2,136,751 Nampa Nov. 15, 1938 2,180,320 Hansen Nov. 14, 1939 2,294,487 Stettner Sept. 1, 1942 2,575,775 Teeters Nov. 20, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 30,309 Switzerland 1904 600,738 Germany 1934 

